Bucket and boom conveying and distributing mechanism



' Oct. 1929. s, SHAFER, JR 1,732,207

BUCKET BOO CONVEYING AND DISTRIBUTING MECHANISH Filed Aug. 17,1926 I 2sheets-sheet 1 ttoz nag Odi. l5, 1929. -v 5, SHAFER JR A '1,732,207

BUCKET AND B00 ll CONVEYING AND DISTIIBUTING MEGHANISM Filed Aug. 17.192e z sneexssneeft 2 Patented @et 15, 1929 NrrED STATES PATENT OFFICESAMUEL SI-IAFER, JR., OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO CHAIN BELTCOM- IPANY, OF MILW'AUKEE, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION OF WISCONSIN BUCKETAND BOOM CONVEYING AND DISTRIBUTING MECHANISM Application filed August17, 1926. Serial No. 129,813.

My invention relates to conveying and distributing apparatus oi thebucket and boom type such as now is commonly used upon paving machines,and it has Afor its object to improve such apparatus Y in particulars tobe hereinafter pointed out. In Patent 1,290,537 dated January 7, 1919,to Donald Fraser, there is illustrated conveying and distributingapparatus of the specific type to which my invention relates. While myinvention is particularly intended for use in connection with pavingmachines, it is not necessarily limited in its useful applications tomachines of that character.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of apparatus embodying my invention. o

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional View on the-line II-II of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional viewpon the line III-III of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is aside elevatio-n 'showing a different adustment of parts fromwhat is illustrated in Fig. 1. v

In the drawings 2 indicates in outline the discharge end oie a concretemixing drum that is supported in a framework 3 constituting part of aroad-paving machine. There is supported by the framework adjacent to thedelivery end of the concrete 'mixer a bracket 4 in which is mounted thevertical pivot 5 of a horizontally adjustable boom 6, that constitutesa. track or way along which travels Y a carriage or trolley 7 from whichis suspended a bucket 8 that is adapted to receive the mixed concretefrom the drum 2 through a discl'iar'ge or delivery chute 10. The bracket4 is constructed with two rather widely separated bearings 19, 19 fortheyvertical pivot 5 of the boom. There are severaladvantages incidentto thus constructing the bracket as will be pointed out. It is nowrecognizedthat it is desirable to rigidlyattach the carriage or trolley7 to the upper forward or outer end of the bucket, as represented at 37in the drawings, in order that the bucket may run up close under thedelivery chute 10.k This arrangement makes it necessary that the portionof the carriage 7 that carries the inner trolley wheels l2 shalloverhang the bucket. By dividing the bracket 4 to form the two separatedbearings 19, 19 there is provided an ample space for the inwardlyextending, o-verhanging por-y tions of the carriage and the trolleywheels 12 to enter, when the bucket comes to its inner loading position.Further by forme ing the bracket as described, the vertical pivot of theboom is supported infwidely separated bearings, which is of greatpractical advantage, as is apparent. The pivot 5 is represented as beingprovided with a pair of ianges or collars 40, 40 which are spaced apartso as to respectively engage with the inner surfaces of the bearings 19thus insuring that the pivot shall be properly posi-Y tioned andsupported and that the bearings shall be held and supported at properdistances apart without undue strain being placed upon them.

The track portion of the boom is extended inwardly beyond the verticalpivot 5 and into the space between the two separated parts of thebracket 4, as clearly represented in Fig. 1, so that the innermosttrolley wheels ..12 and the overhangingjportions of the carriage maybesupported by the track when they enter the space between the separated'parts of the bracket, as has been described. There is loosely supportedupon the pivot 5, preferably near its upper end, and above the upperbearing 19, a disk or plate 25. This disk carries a segmental gear 26,with which Vengage-s a pinion constitutingv part of the mechanism 27 bywhich the plate 25 is rotated and the boom adjusted horizontally. Thismechanism 27 is conveniently supported upon the bracket 4, asrepresented. The plate 25 carries the mechanism 28 by which the boomisadjusted vertically about its pivot 29.

30 are arms secured to the vertical pivot 5 and extending outwardtherefrom close to one face, preferably the upper one, of the disk orplate 25. Coiled springs 31 engage with the arms 30 near their outerends, being located between the arms and projections 32 on the disk orplate 25. It will be understood that when the mechanism 27 is operatedand the disk 25 turned, one of the springs 31 will be compressed, theother one expanded before -action of the springs, without impartingshocks and strains to the adjusting gearing, either when such gearing isstarted in its movements or when ceasing to move.

The means, for causing the traverse of the bucket along the boom, arenot illustrated be'- l yond the cable 15 and the pulleys 13 about whichthe cable passes, as such means may be of any usual or preferredcharacter.

rllhe bucket 8 is of the bottom-discharge type and is provided with apair of closing doors 9, connected by gearing 14 so as to operatetogether, and preferably provided at their meeting edges with angle.strips 38. The doors are preferably of the self-closing type, arranged,when left free, to fall into a central position closing the bucket,under the influence of gravity. It will be understood that springs mightbe employed to supplement the action of gravity for this purpose, shouldthis be found desirable.

rThe construction of the doors, as represented and described, and theirconnection,

serve to lock them when in closed position, against the weight of thematerial delivered to the bucket and until the doors are positivelyopened. l

For automatically opening the doors to permit the discharge of thebucket l employ mechanism, manually controlled, of the general typeillustrated in the aforesaid Fraser patent.

11 represents a link connecting one of the doors 9 with a sheave orpulley 16 supported in a bracket or other suitable mounting 22 carriedby the bucket. To this sheave is connected, preferably by being woundabout its periphery, a free ruiming endless cable 17 that extendsoutwardly from the sheave and passes around a pulley 18 at the forwardend ofthe boom, whence it turns and passes to and about another pulley18 at the rear end of the boom, whence it returns to the sheave 16. Thelink 11 is preferably extensible, being formed of a lower section 33connected with one of the doors and an upper section 311 connected withthe sheave or pulley 16. The upper section is preferably formed of twoparts which together constitute a yoke that straddles the wheel orpulley, as shown in Fig. 2, being pivotally connected to the latter atrlhe two sections of the link are united bybolts 36 and one, or both, ofthe sections are provided with a plurality of perforations for thebolts, permitting the adjustment of the link as represented in Figs. 1and 4.

1 indicates a brake arranged to bear upon the pulley 18 at the inner endof the boom. This brake is arranged to be manually controlled, it beingrepresented as being connected with an operating handle 24; by a cable23 suitably supported and directed by a pulley or pulleys.

The operation of the apparatus described will now be setforth. lt hasbeen stated that in the art, causes the cable 15 to be moved ,I

which in turn drags the bucket and its carriage along the boom. As thesemove outwardly, the free ruiming cable 17, which 1s connected with thebucket through the wheel or pulley 16, moves freely over its supportingpulleys 18. But as the place forthe delivery of the material `within thebucket is approached the operator'euts off the power that` is causingthe outward movement of the bucket, and applies the brake 21 to thepulley 18, and this latter retards the free movement of the cable 17,with the result that as the bucket completes its outward movement underinertia there is a pull upon the pulley 16 Vtending to move it in thedirection of the arrow a in Fig. 1. The parts of the apparatus areadjusted so that this pull is of sufficient force to open the doors 9.The lpulley or wheel 16 is a convenient means for applying power torotate the shaft 39 on which it is i supported and it also serves as acrank arm for the attachment of the upper end of the link 11, which, asthe shaft is turned, moves from the position represented in fulllines inFig.

l-the position occupied when the doors are closed-to thevpositionindicated by dotted lines in said figure-the position occupied when thedoors are open--allowing.the load to be discharged.

J ust as the parts come to the positions indicated inv dotted lines theupper section EA of the link comes into engagement with the projectingends of the shaft 39, arresting its further movement, but not until the`pivotal connection, 35, between the link 11 and the wheel or pulley 16has passed beyond the projected line uniting the axis of shaft 39 andthe pivotal connection of the link with the door, thus locking the doorsin open position. VBy reason of the doors being geared together at 14-the two are correspondingly opened and closed. The doors 9 being openedas described and the load delivered, the operator now causes the returntraverse of the bucket to the position shown in Fig. 1 to be recharged.I prefer that the lock which has been described for maintaining thebucket in open position shall be suiiciently rigid to cause asynchronous movement of the cable 17 with the return of the bucket,although the lock might be so slight that the' friction and inertia ofthe cable would cause the pivotal point 35 of the link to be moved overits dead center when the return movement of the cable is started,whereupon the doors would close automatically by gravity and in so doingmove the pulley 16 to the position represented in Fig. l, as soon as thereturn movement of the bucket commences. lWhen, however, the parts areregulated so that the return movement of the bucket does not of itselfcause the closing of the doors, then this is effected by the operatorapplying the brake and retarding the free movement of the cable 17whenever he desires the doors to be closed,

which would usually be just before the bucketr reaches its inner loadingposition ready to be charged. Y

The angular strips 38 atthe edges of the doors may be utilized asspreading means for the charge of material which has been delivered fromthe bucket. When they are to be so used the operator causes the doors tobe closed and then moves the bucket over the mound of material justdelivered one or more times as may be required to effect the desiredspreading.

By making the link 11 extensible the doors of the bucket may be openedto a greater or less extent, as may be desired. For instance, if itshould be desiredto gradually discharge the load of the bucket ratherthan dumping practically the entire load at once the link islengthene-d, as indicated in Figa, with the result that the wheel l0turns a shorter distance before being arrested by the engagement of theupper portion of the link with the shaft 39, as compared with thedistance it turns when the link is shorter as in'Fig. l, and the resultis that the doors are not so widely separated. When the material is tobe delivered slowly, through opening the doors but a short distance, thebrake 2l should be applied before the power that causes the outwardtraverse ofthe bucket is cut off, thus permitting the desired dischargeof the material.

What I claim is:

1. The combination of a boom supported on a vertical pivot to permit itto swing horizontally, a plate member supported concentrically relativeto the vertical pivot of the boom and free to move rotatively relativeto the latter, arms projecting outwardly from the axis of the pivot andconnected with the boom so as to turn therewith, resilient means betweenthe arms and the plate member through which movements imparted to theplate member are transmitted to the boom,

' and means for rotatively moving the plate member to cause horizontalswinging-of the boom.

2. The combination of a boom supported on a vertical pivot to permit itto swing horizontally, a plate member supported upon the vertical pivotof the'boom and free to turn relative thereto, arms projecting outwardlyin opposite directions from the vertical pivot, springs interposedbetween the arms and the plate member through which relative movementsbetween these parts are transmitted one to the other, and gearing forcausing rotative movements to be imparted to the said plate member.

3. In a concrete mixing apparatus the combination with the mixing drum,supporting frame work at the discharge end of the latter, a boomextending awa-yl from the mixing drum, a bucket adapted for receivingand conveying away the product of the mixing drum, and a carriagemovable along the boom, of a vertical pivot for supporting the boom andpermitting it to swing horizontally, and a bracket secured to theframework and formed with widely separated bearings in which thevertical pivot for the boom is supported, there being a free open spacebetween the parts of the bracket carrying the bearings in-to which thecarriage supporting the bucket may extend as the bucket comes toposition to receive a charge from-the mixing drum.

4. In a concrete mixing apparatus the combination of a swinging boomadapted to support a delivery distributing bucket, a vertical pivot forsupporting the boom formed with spaced-apart collars and a bracketsecured to the framework of the apparatus, formed with widely separatedbearings in which the vertical pivot is supported, there being a freeopen space between the parts of the bracket carried by the bearings, andthe collars on the vertical pivot. being disposed to engage respectivelywith the inner surfaces of the bearings.

5. In a concrete mixing apparatus the combination with a mixing drum,supporting4 framework adjacent to the discharge end of the drum, adistributing boom, a bucket adapted for receiving and conveying away theproduct of the mixingdrum, and a carriage movable along the boom andsupporting the bucket, of a vertical pivot supporting the boom andpermitting it to swing horizontally, the pivot being provided withspaced- A apart collars, a bracket secured to the framework and formedwith bearings widely separated from each other in which the verticalpivot of the boom is supported, the collars on the pivot bearingrespectively against the inner faces of the bearings and there being afree open space between the parts of the bracket carrying the bearingsinto which the carriage on the boom may extend as the bucket comes toposition to receive a charge from the mixing drum, and means forswinging the boom upon its pivot supported by the portion of the bracketcarrying the upperl pvot bearing.

6. In a concrete mixing apparatus the cornbination of a swinging boomcarrying tracks, a carriage the Wheels of Which run upon the saidtracks, a distributing bucket supported by the carriage, a vertical pvotfor Supporting the boom, and a bracket in which is supported theVertical pivot, formed with widely separated bearings in which the pivotis mounted, there being a free open space be-` tween the separated partsof the bracket, the track portions of the boom extending inward 1ybeyond the vertical pvot and into the space between the separated partsof the bracket, permitting the Wheele of the carriage that supports thebucket to pass into the said space.

SAMUEL SHAFER, JR.

